IMPERIAL VALLEY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – An Imperial Valley hospital has achieved a breakthrough using cutting edge technology.
El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) has reached 5,000 procedures using da Vinci robotic surgery, helping doctors perform difficult surgeries more easily and helping patients recover faster.
“The robotic platform allows us to perform more complex surgeries that were previously done through small incisions, reducing pain and helping patients get up and moving around sooner, and returning to work or their regular duties sooner,” said Dr. Seung Kwon, surgeon at ECRM.
“The robot has a fluorescent capability that can be used with black light, allowing us to see anatomy much more clearly than the naked eye,” said Stephanie Woodward, another surgeon at ECMC.
The Da Vinci robotic system is fully operated by the surgeon and has high-resolution vision and tools that allow doctors to operate with greater precision.
“With the robot, we can see things much better. We can use our own robotic cameras to see around curves that we couldn't see before. And then the robot's own equipment can go around those curves and do the dissection and help us stitch together things that we couldn't do with our old equipment,” Dr. Kwon explained.
“For hernia repair, gallbladder removal and many other surgeries that we perform, the robot helps us make more precise cuts and suturing, particularly with hernia repair, where we can suture the hernia defect closed and reinforce it with mesh, which allows for a stronger repair,” said Dr. Woodward.
ECRMC surgeons are using this technology to allow patients to receive treatment locally rather than traveling out of town for surgery.
